Preliminary Community Engagement Plan Outlined As City Council Begins Consideration of Nominee

BALTIMORE, MD. (Monday, July 17, 2023) - Today, Mayor Brandon M. Scott submitted the official nomination of Richard Worley to serve as Baltimore’s next permanent Police Commissioner to the Baltimore City Council.

As the Council begins its consideration and confirmation process, Acting Commissioner Worley will kick off a city-wide community engagement process to hear from Baltimoreans across the city and discuss his vision for the future of the Baltimore Police Department. Following today’s nomination, the Council has set a formal confirmation hearing for August 15th, and then will hold both committee and full council votes. 

“Today, I am incredibly proud to be officially submitting Acting Commissioner Worley’s nomination to the City Council,” said Mayor Brandon M. Scott. “The Acting Commissioner is without a doubt the right person to lead the Baltimore Police Department into the future, and build on the successful reforms we’ve made over the past few years. With his leadership and vision, we will continue to confront Baltimore’s public safety challenges, continue increasing trust in the department, and continue making our communities safer.”

“I am deeply honored to be moving into this next phase of the process and am humbled by the trust that Mayor Scott has bestowed on me,” said Acting Commissioner Worley. “This opportunity to continue the progress we’ve made in reducing violent crime, building public trust in our agency and to keep working alongside the brave men and women of BPD is an opportunity unlike any other. As I meet with Baltimoreans around the city over the next few weeks, I am eager to learn and hear from them, and to discuss how we can build a safer Baltimore for all.”

A Pigtown native, Acting Commissioner Worley joined the BPD in 1998. He spent his first four years with the Department on patrol in the Western District. He was promoted to Lieutenant in the Western District in 2008 and was promoted to Major a year later. In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of Colonel as Chief of Patrol. In 2021, Acting Commissioner Worley was assigned to a post as Chief of Detectives before being named in September 2022 to be Deputy Commissioner of the Operations Bureau where he oversaw Patrol, Criminal Investigation and several other units. He has served as Acting Police Commissioner since June 8, 2023.

In addition to an extensive slate of meetings with elected leaders, community associations, and other organizations, the Mayor’s Office will host seven public community meetings, in which Acting Commissioner Worley will take part. These include:

These community meetings will be held throughout late July and August, with additional information regarding times and location to be released soon.